Big Second Half Propels Boise State Past Cowboys, 72-63

The Wyoming Cowboys wasted an early 17-point lead and lost their third straight game Saturday. Boise State won, 72-63, at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie.

Boise State (19-10, 9-7) controlled the second half. They shot 60 percent from the field and out-rebounded UW 23-7. They took their first lead of the game on a Nick Duncan 3-pointer with 14:39 left in the game. That was in the middle of an 18-4 run by the Broncos that gave them a 52-44 lead. Boise State built their edge to 64-50 with 6:17 left on Mikey Thompson's 3-pointer.

Wyoming (17-12, 8-8) rallied within 66-60, thanks to a 10-2 spurt. After a stop on the defensive end, Josh Adams missed a jumper that would have cut it to four points with 2:01 remaining. Boise State answered with lay-ups on their next two possessions for a ten point lead, at 70-60, which closed the window of opportunity for UW.

The Broncos shot 56 percent from the field and knocked down 8-16 from 3-point range. They were led by Thomas Bropleh, who scored 20 points. Ryan Watkins had 14 points and 12 rebound, while Thompson also added 14 points.

Adams scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Pokes. Riley Grabau added 13 points and five assists, and Derek Cooke Jr. chipped in 11 points and six rebounds. Wyoming shot 48 percent for the game, but just 27 percent in the second half. They were only 3-12 (25%) from deep and got out-rebounded 31-18.

The Cowboys came out on fire; as they built a 21-4 lead with 13:35 left in the first half. Adams hit three straight 3-point baskets to begin the game. UW was up 15-0 before Boise State got on the scoreboard, but the Broncos kept chipping away at the lead. By the time the half came, Wyoming only led 38-32, despite shooting almost 67 percent from the field.

UW will try to snap their losing skid when they return to the court on Wednesday, March 5 at Utah State. That game will start at 8 p.m.